Peripeteia
by PrincessOfHxll
Summary: Kassia Romanova shouldn't be talking to Shadowhunters let alone kissing one, but Jace Wayland is a little too charming to avoid and the shadow world a little too complicated for her to run away from. Jace/OC Rewrite of my old story 'Dear Child of Mine'.
1. ONE

**CHAPTER ONE**

1 | A Romanov

 **"** my life was a mystery even as I lived it **"**  
 _melissa gilbert_

* * *

"Kassia!" A voice drawled out above the incessant noise of the Downworlder party.

Kassia Romanova spun on her heel, dress flashing in a wave of silver, to come face to face with the warlock gifted with cat eyes; that was a symbol of a curse and a blessing. Magnus Bane, High Warlock of Brooklyn.

"How wonderful of you to finally join us!"

"You know I'd never miss one of your parties." She responded with a playful tone, her lips tugging into a smile. Like many at the party, Kassia wasn't a regular to New York, something easily noticeable from the lilt to her accent. Her American accent was heavy but some of the pronunciation fell short, hinting to long stints abroad and common jumps between foreign tongues. "However late I arrive."

"There's a difference between stylishly late and being plain lazy, young Kassia," Magnus said. His eyes surveyed her outfit disapprovingly but she wasn't surprised, every time she came to New York it seemed that Magnus was there acting as a guardian in the lacking place of a parental figure.

Between the lace of her dress, the stark black runes were just visible, glistening with a dark fury in the half-light; a clear message: Kassia was one to be wary of. Kassia glanced around, "Have you seen my Parabatai? I lose her the second I got here."

"Was she in a black dress? Because if so I saw her talking to one of the vampires I invited." Magnus concluded, picking at his darkly painted nails. As usual, his outfit was a stylish one, something that always made Kassia's choice of clothing surprisingly bland.

"That's her," Kassia said with a nod. She lifted a drink from one of the many trays making their way around the room, lifting it to the dim light, checking both for poison and for any faerie drugs. Kassia had learnt that she didn't have the best reaction to them after one too many bad experiences, where the little restraint she had was thrown out the window, and at Magnus' parties one could never be exactly certain what you were consuming.

"I presume we're not in the presence of any werewolves?" Kassia asked. As soon as the sparkly concoction hit the back of her throat, in an explosion of too sweet flavours, she regretted taking a sip of it. She gagged at the taste and let the cool liquid fall back into the glass.

"You presume correctly." Magnus started but cut off as he pulled a handkerchief from his suit pocket and held it out towards Kassia, looking over her dismissively, "But how you charm anyone with those manners is beyond me."

Kassia smiled innocently, but it appeared much more unnerving when matched with the impish curl of her lips and a mischievous glint in her eyes, "It's the Romanov House secret."

"You and your family." Magnus rolled his eyes and Kassia knew why: this was the same story stuck on replay, over and over again. "How long until you have to go back to Saint Petersburg?" He downed Kassia's purple drink in one.

She shrugged, "If I'm lucky, a long time—"

"—But you're never lucky." Magnus interrupted. From the frown, on his lips, it was obvious he though her antics to evade her family were childish and stupid. Maybe they were, but Kassia could barely tell herself anymore.

"But I'm never lucky." Kassia agreed. "Which leaves me with a few weeks. At best." She tilted her head in amusement when Magnus shot her a look of disbelief but before he could respond (and most likely chide her for her insolence the doorbell rang loudly above the supernatural crowd.

"I suppose I should get that." Magnus sighed dramatically, "I am the host of this party after all."

"And what an amazing party it is," Kassia said, throwing a glance over to her Parabatai. She was stood conversing with one of their vampire friends. "I'll come. It's better than watching Hailee have to turn down another vampire who can't pick up a hint."

"And what would you do in her place?" Magnus asked. He nudged Kassia's side.

Kassia shot him a look of mock horror, "I do not approve of whatever you are insinuating." The sarcasm flooded from her lips more comfortably than the truth. "And I can't be bothered to deal with vampires. It's so much effort arranging dates."

Magnus sent her a teasing glance, "I happen to remember you being obsessed with a certain Ra—"

"Hey!" She hissed, "I don't need the whole of the Downworld knowing!"

"Kass, darling, the whole Downworld already does."

His smirk earnt him a glare that would have sent him six feet under, had Kassia been a warlock, however, Kassia wasn't a warlock and was therefore forced to contain her anger and continue staying in the torturous presence of Magnus.

"If my family find out about it, I am placing all the blame on you." She said finally in one last threat, it didn't hold much weight but Kassia was certain that Magnus wouldn't purposely let her family know about her… less than respectable ventures.

Kassia leant against the stair railing as Magnus continued down to the door. He flung it open with a flick of his hand and an ounce of his magic, the door flew open to reveal five people.

Kassia instantly swore.

Three of the five were Shadowhunters, armed with as many weapons as she was and twice as intimidating. The other two were thankfully less dangerous, a red-headed girl and a brown haired boy, both who stood out like a scream in a silent place beside the six-foot Shadowhunters.

The black haired girl reacted first, smoothly dropping the look of surprise that had made its way onto their faces, "Magnus? Magnus Bane?"

"That would be me," Magnus replied lazily.

Kassia moved down the last steps, internally cursing herself for wearing such tall heels.

Her movement caught the attention of the shadow hunters and Kassia challenged their stare with one of her own. Blue met gold, with a mix of stubbornness and smugness. Warm breath caught in her throat and in an attempt to not show her discomfort she threw the boy a smirk. Her look of confidence shifted to a scowl when the blond responded with a mirrored expression.

He was attractive, like one of the original angels from the paintings, but worst of all he knew it. He knew he had looks that probably rivalled Apollo and just like Apollo he was a blinding flare in Kassia's eye line.

In an attempt to ignore him, she turned her attention to the other Shadowhunters but saw they were all equally good on the eyes and all of them seemed to think they were God's blessing on the world… technically they kind of were.

Magnus' eyes burrowed into her soul, telling her he saw the exchange between her and the blond. He turned his attention back to the unwanted guests with an air of arrogance that, for Kassia didn't fit him at all. "I don't recall inviting any Nephilim, apart from this one here."

Kassia bowed at the introduction, "Maybe they're a fan club? I hear that warlocks are very in nowadays."

"Who are you?" The red-headed girl asked. Kassia locked eyes with her in surprise, she looked like quite a fragile thing, small and pale like she was just about to shatter, but it seemed that her looks were quite deceiving. She had a fiery attitude that rivalled the colour of her hair.

"This is Kassia. She's the founder of the fan club." Magnus said before Kassia could open her mouth to respond. It was probably best he did, Kassia didn't want to say anything that could be taken the wrong way.

"Oh yes. Join the Magnus Bane Fan Club for free drinks and all the secrets on how this High Warlock keeps his hair so perfect." Kassia bit out.

"I have an invitation." The black haired girl said with a shadowed of amusement in her smile. Kassia didn't know who it was aimed at, them or the mutters she exchanged with the other black haired boy. "And these are my friends."

Magnus tugged the slip from her grip, glaring at it as though it would make it burn up there and then. "I must have been drunk. Come in and try not to murder any of my guests."

The blonde boy stepped over the threshold, sizing up Magnus as he did so. "Even if one of them spills drinks on my new shoes?"

"Even then." Magnus clarified. His hand shot out and plucked the stele from the boy's hand. "As for this," He tucked it in the boy's pocket. "Keep it in your pants, Shadowhunter."

Magnus grinned at them, and winked at Kassia, "Don't cause a fight, Kassia dear."

"I wouldn't dare in your house."

It seemed Magnus didn't believe her because he retreated back up the stairs with an over exaggerated scoff.

Kassia rolled her eyes and glanced at the blond, "I pity the Downworlder who would dare spill a drink on your shoes."

"They wouldn't dare." He shrugged, stepping closer to her. Kassia refused the urge to step back as he moved into her personal space, surveying him dismissively. "You never said who you were."

"Just Kassia," She said, "And I could say the same about you, pretty boy."

"The name's Jace Wayland, darling." He smirked, holding out a hand.

Kassia stared at him through her lashes. The way she considered him carefully held the same intensity one would exhibit when faced with a particularly strenuous, vexing, puzzle. She had heard that name, Wayland, and she had never heard it in association with anything good.

She reached forward and shook his hand but as she went to pull back he tightened her grip and slipped his hand to her wrist. Her skin seared at his touch as he twisted her hand palm upwards to reveal the familiar swirls of the Parabatai rune.

"You're a Shadowhunter."

"You're a Shadowhunter, not me." Kassia ripped her hand from his grip and stumbled back towards the stairs, "And don't call me darling."

"I wouldn't even think about it, sweetheart." His smirk grew when Kassia's jaw noticeably clenched.

The knife concealed beside her leg felt as though it were pressing harder into her skin, screaming at her to remind her it was there, that it could be used. She pushed the urge away by gripping the stairs. "A sarcastic asshole. What were the chances? Do all you Shadowhunters steal lines from the same outdated book on flirting 101?"

Kassia shook her head and stalked back up the stairs towards the party. However, she wasn't fast enough to avoid catching a conversation between the Shadowhunters. After Wayland had been scolded for flirting with every girl he met they mentioned that the warlock wouldn't help them if he annoyed his friends.

Did they want help? Help from a warlock? How desperate were the Clave?

She swept through the crowd, waving to a few vampires until she reached Magnus, easily distinguishable against the backdrop of the floor to ceiling windows. They were entirely ineffective, covered in a thin layer of dirt that blocked most of the light and ruined the aesthetic that Magnus had going; it was sort of Harry Potter meets electricity and actual safety regulations.

"Finished flirting with the Shadowhunter, Kassandra?" Magnus hummed, another drink (most likely alcohol) in his hand.

Kassia barely flinched at the use of her full name, she had given up trying to persuade Downworlders to call her anything but her full name as they never listened, instead seeming to use it more.

"It wasn't flirting." Kassia protested. "But I did learn something interesting."

"Do tell."

Kassia leant into him her voice dropping to a whisper, "They're not just here to crash the party, they want your help."

She dragged out the word. It was almost surreal, Shadowhunters overcoming their prejudice to find help in a warlock?

"Which one did you hear this from? The cute one?" Magnus asked.

"Which cute one? Do you mean the girl or—"

"No, no, the blue-eyed one."

Kassia thought back, "Cute? I see it. I mean they were all easy on the eyes… but then again they're Shadowhunters."

Magnus ran a hand through his hair, somehow not ruining the styled look, "There it is again. Your whole not counting you as Shadowhunters deal. What is it your family says? We work beyond the Clave but not against it."

"I sound nothing like that," Kassia said. The impression was far too squeaky and annoying… she hoped anyway. "And you know I don't get on with the rest of the clan." How could she? They were incredibly controlling, overruled any opinion she held and had so many rules and regulations that were unrealistic and archaic.

Magnus glanced over her shoulder, "You like my party?"

She turned to see who Magnus' question was aimed at. It was the red-headed girl from before. She looked lost in the spacious room, glancing over her shoulder for the Shadowhunters who had accompanied her but saw they'd been swallowed but the crowd.

"None of your Shadowhunter friends are here," Kassia stated apologetically.

The red-headed girl smiled but it couldn't be mistaken for happiness when she was shuffling so much, "They're not my friends."

"My mistake," said Kassia, "I'm Kassia. I'm the not Shadowhunter and friend of Magnus. Who are you?"

"Clary."

"…Fray?" Kassia asked after a moment. The red-headed girl nodded and it took everything in Kassia to not look surprised.

This was the Clary Fray that everyone in Downworlder was talking about. Kassia had heard about her in the endless gossip, the mundane who turned out to be the daughter of the infamous Fairchild runaway.

Clary noticed how Kassia looked at her as though a spotlight had formed above her and quickly continued, "Is the party in honour of anything?"

"My cat's birthday."

"Oh." She glanced around for any signs of the creature. "Where's your cat?"

Magnus moved away from Kassia and towards Clary. "I don't know. He ran away."

"Can that thing even run?" Kassia scoffed, "It's a massive ball of fluff."

"Rule number one, Kassandra, no hate on the cat," Magnus ordered, pointing an accusing finger her way.

Before she could form a retort Jace and the black haired boy emerged from the crowd, as though they had an ability to sense when Clary was feeling too uncomfortable.

Clary instantly turned to them, looking grateful that she wasn't alone with Kassia and Magnus, "Have you seen Simon and Isabelle?"

So that was their names — four down, one to go.

Jace pointed over to the dance floor but Kassia was unable to pick out the mundane boy or shadow hunter girl among the convulsing crowd. "They're on the dance floor."

"I heard you need my help, Shadowhunter," Magnus commented. He swept towards them, eyes flashing intimidatingly.

Jace, unlike the others, barely looked perturbed and chose to look past Magnus to Kassia. "Your doing?"

"Guilty as charged." Kassia flashed a smile at him but tensed instantly as she noticed the vampire charging towards them.

Her hand jumped to her dagger, just in case, but her fast movement alerted the Shadowhunters to a threat. Jace spun around, pushing Clary back, and the black haired boy — Kassia still didn't know his name — moved beside Jace, the two working as in sync as clockwork.

"MAGNUS BANE!" A deep voice yelled. The voice belonged to a surprisingly short man who pushed his way through the crowd towards them. He pointed a threatening finger at Magnus. "Someone just poured Holy Water into the gas tank of my bike. It's ruined. Destroyed. All of the pipes have melted!"

"Melted?" Magnus exchanged an amused glance with Kassia. "How dreadful."

"I want to know who did it!" The man bared his teeth, revealing the thin, canine-like, vampire teeth hidden in the gums. They were a gruesome yellow, aged and decayed by blood. "I thought you swore there'd be no wolfmen see tonight, Bane."

"I invited none of the moon's children precisely because of your stupid little feud. If any of them decided to sabotage your bike they weren't a guest of mine and therefore not my responsibility."

The vampire let out a roar, "Are you trying to tell me that—"

Magnus moved his finger just a fraction, a movement almost impossible to see, making the vampire stops mid-roar. The vamp gagged, clutching at his throat and mouthing incomprehensible words as no sound came out.

"You've worn out your welcome," Magnus said. He flicked his hand and the vampire spun and walked out the door as if he were being pushed by an invisible force.

The party was silent for a moment, all the guests privy to the tension surrounding Magnus. When Magnus didn't make a move to end the party chatter reignited like a spark and the Downworlders slowly edged away from the Shadowhunter business.

"That was impressive." Jace whistled quietly.

"He's showing off," said Kassia, poking Magnus' side. She jumped away as he reached out to hit her on the head and stuck her tongue out at him in a victory.

"We put the holy water in the gas tank you know," The boy commented.

Jace smacked him, "Alec! Shut up!"

"I assumed that," Magnus nodded. Kassia noticed the amused undertones, which meant the Shadowhunters were fortunate — ruining a Downworlders property didn't always end up like that. "Vindictive little bastards aren't you? I'm guessing you would have done the same Kassandra, you're just as bad, so don't roll your eyes like that."

Kassia opened her mouth to argue but closed it instantly — he wasn't wrong. She wouldn't have done it to that vampire in particular, nor would she have done it to a Downworlder just because they were a Downworlder, but it was her style.

"You know bikes like that run on demon energies." Kassia commented, "He won't be able to repair it."

"One less leech with a fancy bike," Jace said. "My heart bleeds."

Kassia swallowed at the insulting term. Shadowhunters too often used slurs to refer to Downworlders, not even bothering to hide the obvious prejudice when they were in the presence of the very people they seemed to despise.

"I'm sure it would if he got a hold of you." Kassia put out through gritted teeth.

"I'm too precious to bleed." Jace shot back instantly.

Kassia raised his eyebrow, "Is that a challenge, pretty boy?"

Alec rolled his eyes at their interaction, "I've heard some of them can fly."

"Unfortunately, an old witches tale," Magnus said. Kassia wasn't sure that was true: most witches tales ended up to be very true and, usually, very dangerous "Is this why you crashed my party? Just to wreck some bloodsucker's ride?"

"No," Jace said. His tone change from flirtatious to serious quick enough to give Kassia whiplash. "We need to talk." He glanced at Kassia, "preferably alone."

So Kassia wasn't invited, she honestly didn't expect to be, but what did surprise her was that the Clave had sent teenagers to bargain — and probably threaten — the High Warlock of Brooklyn. Didn't the Clave have any class?

Magnus raised an eyebrow, "Am I in trouble with the Clave?"

"No."

"Probably not," Alec added. He quickly fell silent after emitting a soft cry of pain when Jace kicked him.

"I agree that's unlikely." Magnus nodded, he pointed at Kassia, "Is she in trouble with the Clave? That is much more likely."

"I feel attacked, Bane, personally attacked." Kassia scowled.

"No." Repeated Jace, "We can talk to you under the seal of the Covenant. If you help us, anything you say will be confidential."

Kassia tilted her head, "And if he doesn't help you?"

Jace spread his arms wide, revealing runes in black and red seared into the skin, "Maybe nothing, maybe a visit from the Silent City."

"That's quite a choice you're offering me, little Shadowhunter," Magnus said, voice sounding cold and irritated at the threat from a Shadowhunter not even tenth of his age.

"It's not choice at all," Jace said with a smile but it had no comfort to the gesture at all.

"Yes." Kassia said, "That's what he meant." She should have turned away and left Magnus to deal with Shadowhunter business but her curiosity got the better of her. "Is this about Valentine?"

The name was an instant switch, sending the tension in the group sky high. No one shoe but Kassia had her answer: yes. This was about Valentine.

Alec glanced at her warily, "What do you know about Valentine."

"Only rumours." Kassia said, "He's back, he's after the mortal cup. He kidnapped Jocelyn Fray and— and he's been trying to get powerful contacts."

Magnus read through the lines easily.

"Is he after you?" Magnus asked but Kassia didn't reply. "Kassandra? Is he after you."

"My family. I talked to Raph, there are rumours that Valentine wants to know where my family's alliance is. He wants to know whether will support him." Kassia explained, "No point look at me like that, pretty boy, I'm not stupid… my family may be."

"And who are your family?" Jace inquired with fake chivalry. His golden eyes watched Kassia's every move as if he expected her to attack him. He was acting with politeness but Kassia wouldn't be surprised if he wanted to spit at her feet.

He had his suspicions on who she was— on who her family was. There weren't many families that didn't stand with the Clave and fewer that associated with Downworlders.

"I'd be surprised if you didn't already know that, Wayland."

The Romanov Clan were infamous; with family trees dating back to the birth of Nephilim. They were rich, powerful and influential. Breaking rules was a one-way ticket out of the clan and if you spent too long with Shadowhunters you may as well say goodbye to any status you had.

"You're from House of Romanov."

"That I am, pretty boy," Their attitudes towards her changed instantly, it was probably instinctive. If a Shadowhunter didn't know of the Romanovs they must have been living under a rock for the past 500 years.

They were a private army, a private army that was very good at holding grudges. Kassia wouldn't be surprised if her family supported valentine because the last time they had gone to the Clave the Clave hadn't helped them. They wouldn't care that the world was in the balance only that they got revenge and their pride was unscarred.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **This is a rewrite of my old mortal instruments fanfiction - 'Dear Child of Mine' - it will be quite different to that story as I only got five chapters in before giving up.**

 **Most likely this story will not completely follow the books and may go AU in later chapters. This is because whilst I do favour many of the show's plot points the book are quite close to my heart, however I see a lot of flaws in them that I didn't four years ago when I read the; some of those being the lack of diversity, the complete focus on Clace instead of arguably stronger ships like Malec, and the general incest-y subplots.**

 **As always I don't own anything apart from my OC, Kassia, and her Parabatai, Hailee, as well as any of their plot lines.**

 **Constructive** **criticism is greatly appreciated but if you don't like it I'd rather you just not read instead of leaving negative comments or hate.**

 **Finally, thank you for reading and I apologise for when I am not as invested in this fanfic as I am currently juggling writing my own novel and GCSEs (which are totally fun !)**


	2. TWO

**CHAPTER TWO**

2 | Of Nephilim and Downworlders

"the one duty we owe history is to rewrite it"  
 _oscar wilde_

* * *

"What's a Romanov?" Clary inquired and Kassia jarringly noticed how out of place she was. She was in the midst of the shadow world yet she barely seemed to understand how it worked.

Kassia shrugged, "It's just my family... think Game of Thrones."

"But you're a Nephilim? Aren't you?" Clary frowned, looking more confused than before. Obviously, she didn't watch the show.

"Nephilim is the species. Shadowhunter is the title given to those who follow the Clave." Kassia explained. She pitied Clary, it must have been difficult to learn everything, that she herself had grown up with, in a couple of weeks. "I'm a Nephilim but I'm not a Shadowhunter. My family don't serve the Clave but as long as we abide by the Covenant the Clave leave us alone... and vice versa."

"What's the point of you then?"

"The point?" Kassia's annoyance bled into her tone as she held Clary in a cold stare, "You don't need a point to exist."

"How about we get down to business?" Magnus spoke up, placing a hand on Kassia's arm.

The touch was enough to stop her and she nodded silently to Magnus, anger filtering away. She was glad for the interruption, it allowed her to stop talking about her family — something she'd never enjoyed.

Jace glanced at Kassia, "It's private business."

Kassia got the message. Whatever they were here for they didn't want her, or maybe her family, to know about. Honestly, Kassia didn't care; she came to the party to enjoy herself not to get involved in politics.

"I don't want to be involved in any of this shit anyways. I'm going to go get drunk." With a mocking salute to the Shadowhunters and a wink at Magnus, she turned her back on them.

"This time keep your clothes on! We don't need a repeat of New Year!" Magnus exclaimed loudly.

Kassia was about to say something back — something sarcastic about her lack of clothing making the party more interesting — but was interrupted by Alec calling her: "Romanov."

"Blue eyes." sighed Kassia as she turned to face him. He had said her name like it was a cursed or tainted. "What do you want?"

Alec muttered something to an annoyed Jace that appeased him, and Kassia was instantly certain they were Parabatai. "If you know about Valentine— we'd like you to listen."

"Me?" A smirk graced her lips, "A Romanov? How scandalous of you."

"Obviously you can't relay any of this to your family." Stated Jace.

Kassia rolled her eyes and moved towards Magnus, "Obviously."

Before she could reach the warlock Jace's hand locked around her wrist and tugged, making her stumble back a few spaces. She tried to pull her hand away but it was held in an iron grip, his touch sending a scorching tingle up her nerves, "Kassia."

" _Jace_." She said, the name falling from her lips mockingly.

His jaw clenched as he stared down at her, even though she was in heels he was a head taller, "Swear that you won't tell your family anything."

"Do you really think so little of me?" Kassia said. If she wasn't so well bred her face would have twisted into an ugly snarl but instead a whisper of anger marred her features.

"Yes, I do," Jace said without any hesitation.

Kassia stared at him for a moment.

"Fine." She snapped. Her mind jumped into action, trying to organise the words into the most beneficial form. She had never been as talented as the rest of her family, they were the ones who knew what words to say to bend and break the rules. "I swear on the angel, that I won't share anything that happens during the meeting with my family."

Jace exchanged a look with Alec, who nodded curtly. He dropped her wrist and she instantly pushed past the group towards Magnus' bedroom.

The room used to hurt her eyes, with so many bright colours, but Kassia had started to love the blue and yellow toned room; even though she often preferred a darker palette.

"Nice place," Jace commented. "Guess it pays being the High Warlock of Brooklyn."

Kassia rolled her eyes and fell onto a chair in the corner. Her eyes instantly latched onto a golden makeup bottle on the table, she lifted it - it was heavy and cold to the touch - but the moment she tried to put some on her skin it was ripped from her hands.

"It pays," Magnus began, sending a glare at Kassia, "But it doesn't replace Lorette Patenaude makeup,"

"Holy shit," Kassia exclaimed, staring at the makeup bottle in shock, "Is that what that is? When did you meet the High Warlock of Paris and why wasn't I invited?"

"You weren't invited, Kassandra, because it was two centuries before you were born," He said, smacking her head in feigned anger, before adding, "She still sends me care packages."

Clary glanced impatiently between the two, "Is this really important right now?"

"That's Lorette Paternaude makeup," Kassia over pronounced every word, as though she were talking to a child, "Not only is she one of the oldest and most powerful warlocks but she also creates makeup with magic infused into it. It costs hundreds of thousands of dollars." Her amazement was met by blank looks from the Shadowhunters and even a roll of the eyes from Alec.

Kassia glanced at Magnus, "At least I know why your makeup always looks so good."

"I hate to tell you, Kassandra, but there are some problems even makeup cannot fix," Magnus said.

Kassia scowled, and it grew when she heard Jace release a choked cough. She glared at him but he responded with a cocked eyebrow and smirk that made her want to punch someone, preferably him.

"Cheating," She said to Magnus, "That's what using magical makeup is: cheating."

"Keep telling yourself that Kassandra," He glanced back to the Shadowhunters, "What's on your devious little minds?"

"It's not them actually," Clary spoke up instantly, "I'm the one who wanted to talk to you."

Magnus stared at her, eyes flashing darker in what Kassia was certain was recognition. What was going on?

"You're not one of them," He said, "Not of the Clave, but you can see the Shadow world."

"My mother was one of the Clave," Clary said, "But she never told me. She kept it a secret. I don't know why."

"You came to Magnus for a secret your mother could have told you?" Kassia asked in complete confusion.

"I can't ask her." Clary bit out before her voice was filled with tremors, "She's— she's gone."

Kassia breathed in sharply but nodded, in understanding.

"And your father?" Magnus continued, not as remorseful as Kassia was. In fact, it seemed for once that Magnus, generally laid back and sarcastic was tense and worried. Kassia had noticed it quickly, through the darting glances and tapping of his fingers.

"He died before I was born."

Magnus opened his mouth but Kassia cut over him.

Kassia pointed a finger at him, "Quote Oscar Wilde and I will hurt you. We are not mentioning losing parents with your outdated pop culture references."

"Must you spoil my fun, Kassandra?" Magnus sighed but glanced back to Clary, "I still fail to see what any of this has to do with me. If you could tell me—"

"She can't tell you because she doesn't remember," said Jace. "Someone erased her memories. So we went to the Silent City to see what the Brothers could pull out of her head. They got two words. I think you can guess what they were."

Kassia's heart stopped. She _had_ seen Clary before, seen Jocelyn Fairchild too. The red-haired family that had been leaving when she had first visited Magnus when she was 12 years old and in need of help.

"My signature," Magnus's lips curved into a grimace, "I knew it was folly when I did it. An act of hubris..."

"You signed my mind?" Clary said in disbelief.

Kassia couldn't blame her. It wasn't the most ethical of things that Magnus had ever done, in fact, it was bordering the line between help and hinder so much that she was struggling to meet Magnus' eyes.

Magnus made a gesture and letters burnt themselves into the air. Heat flooded from them but the sight of the two words made Kassia more uncomfortable: Magnus Bane.

"I was proud of my work on you," Magnus said, tone hinting at regret, "So clean. So perfect. What you saw you would forget, even as you saw it. No image of pixie or goblin or long-legged beastie would remain to trouble your sleep. It was the way she wanted it.

Clary hesitated, "The way who wanted to it?"

The fiery lettering burnt into nothing and Kassia was certain that everyone knew what would be said next.

"Your mother—" He began to tell the story, words carefully chosen.

Kassia listened about Jocelyn Fairchild, about how she had come asking for his help and how he had helped her. It wasn't against the controversial Covenant so he had every right to do it after all Clary had been a Shadowhunter. Jocelyn had done something wrong but Kassia couldn't find it in herself to hate the woman because she understood. Kassia's mother would have done the same and Kassia had only ever seen her mother as flawless.

Magnus began to conclude the story, "I've seen you every two years since that first time— I've watched you grow up. You're the only child I have ever watched grow up that way, except Kassandra here. I remember when she was a lanky twelve-year-old."

"You recognised Clary when we walked in then, you must have," Jace concluded.

"Of course I did and it was a shock. But what should I have done? She didn't know me, wasn't supposed to know me. Just the fact that she as here meant the spell had started to fade— in fact, we were due for another visit about a month ago." Magnus explained.

"That's why you cut your European and African trip short," Kassia said, "Because of her?" And here she was thinking he came back for her birthday. A sharp pain stung her chest and she had to take several moments to breathe, unaware of the conversation she had missed.

"What? Why not? The Clave requires you—" Jace's angry tone brought her back to reality.

"I do not like being told what to do, little Shadowhunter,"

Jace's golden eyes flashed but before he could open his mouth, Alec spoke up, "Don't you know how to reverse it? The spell, I mean?"

"It's a spell." Kassia said quietly, "Do you not know that spells are harder to reverse than they are to put there?" She had thought that was common information. "It's been put on over so many years that it's probably more dangerous to take away than it is to leave. But it is fading isn't it, I mean you're here, aren't you?"

Clary sent her a sharp look, "I'll get all my memories back then? Everything that was taken?"

"I'm not the warlock, here," Kassia said. They all glanced at Magnus.

"I don't know," Magnus let out an exasperated sigh, "They might come back all at once, or in stages. Or you might never remember what you've forgotten over the years. What your mother asked me to do was unique, in my experience, I've no idea what will happen."

"But I don't want to wait," Clary sounded like a child in distress, "All my life I've felt like there was something wrong with me. Something missing or damaged. Now I know—"

Magnus shook his head angrily, "I didn't damage you. Every teenager in the world feels like that, feels broken or out of place, different somehow, royalty mistakenly born into a family of peasants. The difference for you is that it's true. You are different. Maybe not better — but different. And it's not easy being different. You want to know what it's like when your parents are good churchgoing folk and you happen to be born with the devil's mark?" He gestured to his eyes, "When your father flinches at the sight of you and your mother hangs herself in the barn, driven mad by what she's done—"

"Magnus," Kassia said gently. She winced under his gaze but stood and moved towards him to push his hands away from his eyes. She glanced at Clary, "Everyone's damaged, don't think you're so different. My father abandoned me, my mother went mad and died and my family are neglectful. Everyone in this room — fucking hell, everyone at this party — has suffered."

Kassia broke off, words getting tangled in her throat, but she fought past it, "Don't try and place the blame on Magnus for something that your mother chose to do. If he hadn't agreed to do it some other warlock would of."

The room fell so quiet that Kassia's heartbeat sounded like thunder in her ears.

Alec shattered the silence, voice gentle, "It wasn't your fault," He had looked at Kassia before turning to Magnus, "You can't help how you're born."

"It was a long time ago. I think you get the point." Magnus' voice was tense but he had kept any shudders from his voice, "Difference isn't better, Clarissa. Your mother was trying to protect you. Don't throw it back in her face."

"I don't care if I'm different," Clary said, "I just want to be who I am."

Kassia wished the complete opposite. Normal for her was fighting demons and dying before reaching thirty, she didn't want that to be normal. She wanted to live, she wanted to travel and she didn't want a selfish, controlling family.

Magnus swore in Chthonian, an ugly phrase which was much more offensive in Chthonian than it's translation into English. (It roughly translated as "this is going to the crows" or as Kassia interpreted it: "everything is fucked up").

"All right, listen, I can't undo what I've done but I can give you something else. A piece of what would have been your if you'd been raised a true child of the Nephilim," He tugged a mossy green book from a shelf and flipped through it.

"Is that a copy of the Gray Book?" Jace asked through disbelief.

"There's one at the Institute," Alec said, "Hodge showed it to me once."

"It's not grey it's green," Clary pointed out.

Kassia cringed.

"If there was such a thing as terminal literalism you'd have died in childhood. Gray is short for Gramarye. It means magic and hidden wisdom. In it is every rune the Angel Raziel wrote in the original Book of the Covenant. There aren't many copies because each one has to be specifically made. Some of the runes are so powerful they'd burn regular pages." Jace said as he examined the windowsill beside Kassia.

Alec looked impressed, "I didn't know all of that."

"Not all of us sleep through history lessons," Jace replied, pushing himself onto the windowsill.

Kassia tensed as he rested his feet on the chair she had sat back on. She shoved his legs off, "I'm sure your ability to stay awake during lessons makes you a real scholar."

"You say that like it isn't true," Jace said, putting his feet back on and leaning forwards.

"Have you ever heard of this trait called modesty?" Kassia started, voice lowering as she watched Clary begin to turn the pages of the Gray Book. "It's an uncommon thing, I know."

Jace tilted his head, "Modesty is for the ugly — something I'm quite obviously not."

Kassia briefly surveyed him, "Obviously."

"Kassandra, there is a time and place for that." Magnus interrupted loudly, "And now, in my bedroom, is neither."

He had ripped the Gray Book from Clary's hands and sent an incriminating stare at Kassia before placing the book back onto its dusty shelf. He turned to Clary, "If you read all the runes at once you'll give yourself a headache."

"But—" Clary started to protest, ringing her hands together in a panicked distraction.

"Shadowhunters grow up learning one rune at a time, over a period of years," Jace explained, "The Gray Book contains runes even I don't know."

"Imagine that," Magnus said with a sideways glance at Kassia, his cat eyes twinkling in the light.

Jace didn't acknowledge him, "Magnus showed you the run for understanding and remembrance. It opens your mind up to reading and recognising the rest of the Marks."

"It may also serve as a trigger to activate dormant memories," Magnus added, "They could return to you quicker than they would otherwise. It's the best I can do."

Clary sighed, "I still don't remember anything about the Mortal Cup."

Kassia's head shot up, the mortal cup? She glanced at Alec; who avoided her eyesight, choosing to look at the floor, before moving her gaze to Jace. She met his eyes before he could avoid them and the worry in them sent Kassia reeling: they really were after a lost artefact.

"Is that what this is about?" Magnus was a shocked as Kassia felt, "You're after the Angel's Cup? Look, I've been through your memories. There was nothing in them about the Mortal Instruments."

"Mortal Instruments?" Clary repeated, "But I thought—"

"That there was only one?" Kassia said, eyes darting to the sky as though she could see the story written on the ceiling. "When the Angel Raziel came down he gifted three items to Jonathan Shadowhunter. A cup, a sword and a mirror. The Silent Brothers protect the Sword and the Cup and Mirror were kept in Idris... until Valentine."

"Nobody knows where the mirror is," Alec added, "Nobody's known for ages."

Jace turned to Magnus, "It's the Cup that concerns us. Valentine's looking for it."

"And you want to get it before he does?" Magnus' eyebrows rose, his head cocking to the side. "Only a fool would get between Valentine and his revenge."

The last statement was aimed at Kassia. His gaze drilled into her telling her to stay away from the battle but instead of nodding, in understanding, Kassia just looked away.

"Is that what he's after? Revenge?" Jace asked.

Magnus hesitated but agreed, "I would guess so. He suffered a grave defeat and he hardly seemed — seems — the type of man to suffer defeat gracefully."

Alec coughed, locking eyes with Magnus, "Were you at the Uprising?"

"I was, I killed a number of your folk." He said.

"Circle members," Jace corrected, "Not ours—"

"'The one duty we owe to history is to rewrite it'." Kassia said lazily, " _That_ is the Oscar Wilde quote that should be used today."

Magnus' lips twitched upwards but he tried to keep his face straight, "So you didn't fall asleep during that reading of the 'Critic as Artist'?"

"Which one? You've taken me to seven." She deadpanned.

"Well whether she fell asleep or not, Kassandra is right," Magnus stated, "If you insist on disavowing that with is ugly about what you do, you will never learn from your mistakes."

"You don't seem surprised to hear that Valentine's still alive," Alec stated.

"Are you?"

Jace opened his mouth but closed it baffled, and sent hesitant glances at his friends. They were no help. Clary just stood there, missing the context of the conversation, and Alec stared at the wall.

Eventually, Jace voiced his thoughts, "You won't help us find the cup?"

"I wouldn't if I could." Magnus said and folded his arms, "Which, by the way, I can't. I've no idea where it is and I don't care to know. Only a fool, as I said."

Jace fixed his gaze on Kassia. "And you?"

"I—" Her mouth went dry, both Jace and Magnus giving her an intense stare. "I don't know what I'd do but if it came to it... I'd help _you_ over Valentine." She was doing what her family did best, toeing the line and choosing neither side but making promises to both.

Jace nodded, understandingly.

"For everyone else, the loss of the Mortal Cup isn't such a disaster. If I had to choose between the Clave and Valentine, I'd choose the Clave. At least they're not actually sworn to wipe out my kind. But nothing the Clave has done has earned my unswerving loyalty either. So no, we'll be sitting this one out. Now, if we're done here," Magnus said, stopping the conversation between her and Jace before it could go any further. "I'd like to get back to my party before any of the guests eat each other."

Jace tensed, gaze hardening and started to say something, his voice as bitter and furious as acid.

Alec stopped him. He stood up and caught Jace's shoulder, holding it tightly. Jace scowled, "Is that likely?"

"It's happened before."

Jace turned to Alec and muttered, "I know how to behave."

Magnus snapped his fingers impatiently, "Move along teenagers. The only person who gets to canoodle in my bedroom is my magnificent self."

"Canoodle?" Clary questioned.

"Magnificent?" Jace repeated, tone turning darker.

Magnus glared as the Shadowhunters pushed past but as Kassia went to leave he placed a hand in front of her, stopping her from passing.

"Magnus..." She sighed.

"Listen to me, Kassandra," He ordered, "Think about the consequences before you make a stupid decision. I'd rather you not get sent to the Silent City for causing trouble."

Kassia nodded, " I promise I won't actively look for trouble," She hesitated and a smirk formed on her lipsticked smile, "But I won't pass it by if a situation arises."

Magnus smacked her on the head but she ducked under his arm and darted after the Shadowhunters.

Magnus trailed after her and muttered, "I hate faerie bands."

Kassia opened her mouth to respond but was interrupted by a soft, sing-song, voice. "I dunno, it's kind of soothing don't you think?"

Hailee slipped through the crowd, a jacket around her shoulders that clashed awfully with her dress. Kassia didn't say anything about it; she, who too often left the house in pyjamas, was not one to comment.

"Is your hearing all right, Hails?" Kassia said with a roll of her eyes, "Because this band sounds like shit."

Hailee laughed, dark coiled hair shifting around her shoulders, "And your music taste is better? Everything you listen to sounds like it's been sung by a band of strangled cats."

"It's Fall Out Boy!" Kassia exclaimed, throwing her hands up in desperation, "You can't say that about them!"

"I just did, Kass, what are you gonna do?"

Kassia glared at her, "I don't want to be Parabatai anymore."

"Tough luck, bitch, you're stuck with me for life." Hailee bit her lip, barely able to conceal a smile.

"Till death part thee and me," Kassia recited.

Hailee laughed and their hands linked in a quick movement of fluid motions, a handshake: because when you're bound for life you tend to have a lot of time to waste.

"Who are you?" Clary asked; Kassia thought she sounded quite rude and abrupt.

"Hailee Evercross." She responded with a sarcastic bow, "And you lot?"

"I'm Clary. This is Jace Wayland and Alec Lightwood."

Hailee examined them with interest, "I haven't seen Shadowhunters in a long time."

"Are you a Romanov too?" Said Clary.

"Me a Romanov? By the angel, no!" Hailee spluttered, through laughter, "I'm just a Parabatai of one." She nudged Kassia obviously.

Alec glanced between the two of them, "How does one end up Parabatai of a Romanov?"

"I think the requirement tend to be that your life has been shit." Hailee shrugged. "Or is that just the requirements of living in the shadow world?"

* * *

 **I'm sorry for such a long time between updates but a combination of shitty mental health and lots of trial exams has sent me into a whirlwind of pain! I think this chapter has a very abrupt ending but I was struggling to finish this chapter cleanly, so I decided to introduce Kassia's Parabatai Hailee. She _was_ in the first draft on this story (which is still on my account) but the way I wrote her made her quite dislikable - at least to me anyway.**

 **Thanks again for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it even if isn't my best writing.**


	3. THREE

**CHAPTER 3**

3 | Hotel Dumont

"I've never met a strong person with an easy past"  
 _atticus_

* * *

"Where's Isabelle?" Jace sighed over the noise of the crowd.

Hailee leant into Kassia, her voice dropping to a murmur, "Who's Isabelle?"

"Alec's sister." She replied, following them as the group weaved through the crowd, "Very pretty, very outspoken."

"Your type then," Hailee stated.

Kassia just flashed her a smirk and watched as the pretty Lightwood girl stumbled forwards. The smell of alcohol oozed from her and her unstable movements just emphasised her drunkness, "Jace! Alec! Where have you been? I've been looking all over—"

"Where's Simon?" Clary interrupted quickly.

Isabelle glared at her, something that would have looked much colder if she wasn't wobbling on her feet, "He's a rat."

"Did he do something to you? Did he touch you? If he tried anything—" Alec started, seeming to forget that his sister was a Shadowhunter who could take care of herself. The brotherly concern was endearing though, Kassia was certain he was the older of the two.

Isabelle scowled, "No, Alec. Not like that, he's a rat."

"She's drunk," Jace said, looking down at her in disgust.

"I'm not!" Isabelle responded, "Well, maybe a little, but that's not the point! The point is Simon drank one of those blue drinks — I told him not to, but he didn't listen — and turned into a rat."

Kassia covered her mouth to hide a laugh and forced it out as a cough the moment Clary glared in her direction. "A rat?" Clary repeated, "You don't mean..."

"You don't know what a rat is?" Hailee said, "Small, brown, long tail, vampires favourite snack."

Clary let out a screech, instantly paling at Hailee's words.

"Really?" Kassia bit out, kicking Hailee sharply in the leg. She looked to Clary, "She's joking, she just loves to mess with people." Even though she was quick to argue against Hailee's statement, Kassia was struggling to keep a smile off her face at the terror caused with just a few words.

"The Clave isn't going to like this," Alec sighed, "I'm pretty sure turning mundanes into rats is against the Law."

Jace shrugged, "Technically she didn't turn him into a rat. The worst she could be accused of is negligence."

Kassia decided that this situation was slowly turning into a bad drama show that played on repeat at 2 in the morning and, after exchanging amused looks with Magnus and Hailee, was certain they were holding similar comments in.

Hailee elbowed Kassia, "Weren't you turn into a rat, Kass?"

"Shut up." Kassia scowled, watching as Clary almost attacked Isabelle. "You know I hate faerie drinks because of that time." For Kassia, it had been a terrible experience, for everyone else it had been the best part of a previously shitty party.

Magnus walked beside them as they followed Clary, who was weaving between the crowd so quickly Kassia though they might lose her. "I believe, Evercross, that Kassandra was turned into a ferret."

"That's what it was." Hailee nodded, clicking her fingers as though a eureka moment had occurred. "You were so cute, I wish I had a camera."

Kassia glared, "Fuck off, Hails, go get another drink."

"I will, Kass, and I'll enjoy it," Hailee exclaimed as she backed away towards the dance floor.

"I hope you turn into a weasel," Kassia called after her and was met with a middle finger and bouts of laughter.

Kassia turned back to the bar and watched as Clary dropped to the floor. She began searching under the bar, eyes focused on the darkness that was barely visible to Kassia even with multiple runes.

"What's she doing now?" Kassia inquired, to no one in particular.

"I believe she's searching for her friend," Jace announced as he arrived beside her, leaning against the bar just beside her.

Kassia cocked her head, "The mundane, right? Do you generally adopt multiple mundanes?"

"She isn't a mundane."

"Technically no, but mundane isn't synonymous with mortal." Kassia said, "I just mean she's got no training, can't use weapons and has angel blood that must be practically non-existent."

"It'll come naturally to her," Jace responded, looking away from Clary — who was aimlessly searching beneath the bar — and towards Kassia. "Your Parabatai's a bitch."

"She is, but she has her reasons." Kassia nodded, before a devious glint lit like a spark in her eyes, "Do you have any reasons for being a cocky bastard?"

"Such foul words come from your mouth, Romanova." Jace chided, offering her a smirk, "And reasons apart from the fact that you're still here."

"By the angel, do you have any lines that aren't complete cliches?"

"Spend some more time with me and you'll see." He shrugged and glanced at Clary, "Is he under there?"

"Shhh." Clary said, still on her knees on the cold floor, "You'll frighten him off."

"And that will be just terrible, won't it," Jace muttered.

Kassia laughed, "Mundanes aren't that bad."

"How do you know? Don't Romanov's have strict rules about who you can and can't interact with?"

"Like it ever stopped me." Kassia commented, "I've dated several."

Jace stared at her, looking unconvinced, "You — a Romanov — dated a mundane, correction, several mundanes?"

"It was my rebellious phase, even dated a few Downworlders while I was at it."

Jace's face scrunched up as though he had smelt something bad, "The sex must have been good for you to go through that."

"We didn't get that far." Kassia shrugged, "He was asexual, I was in a bad emotional state."

"Sex is exactly was you should do when you're in a bad emotional state," Jace shrugged. She glared at him, momentarily getting caught in the shifting hues of his eyes before snapping her gaze away and watching the bar once more.

"Can you stop being an ass for one second?" A light flush had graced her cheeks, her eyes instantly darting to the floor.

"No can do, sweetheart."

Kassia clenched her jaw but didn't respond.

Clary had finally lifted Simon from the dusty floor, the rat resting in the hollows of her hands and squeaking around at everything that lit up. It would have been adorable if he weren't such a repulsive rodent; a mouse would be preferable.

She hugged him to her chest, "Poor Simon, it'll be fine, I promise—"

"I wouldn't feel too sorry for him," Jace interrupted sarcastically, "That's probably the closest he's ever gotten to second base."

"It will be the closest you'll ever get to again if you don't shut up." Kassia snapped.

Clary glanced gratefully at her, "Was Magnus with you?"

Kassia looked around, surprised that she had already lost him. Behind her, the Shadowhunters resumed their chorus of painful arguing and venomous remarks and in an attempt to end the anger filled interactions as quickly as possible Kassia just yelled Magnus' name to get his attention.

Magnus swept forward, holding the rat in a systematic gaze for several moments, "Rattus Norvegicus, a common brown rat, nothing exotic. A shame really, it was Kassia's birthday not too long ago and ferrets are the perfect gift."

"Are we ever going to forget that?" Kassia exploded, "It was one time and I was fifteen for Raziel's sake!"

Magnus cocked his head, "You were an adorable ferret, Kassandra, that event wasn't something one forgets with ease."

"Please just sort the rat out, Magnus," Kassia begged, warily watching as it squirmed in Clary's hands.

Magnus surveyed the rat briefly, "No point."

Jace nodded, "That's what I said."

"NO POINT!" Clary exclaimed, "How can you say there's no point?"

"Because he'll turn back on his own in a few hours," said Magnus, "The effect of the cocktails is temporary. No point working up a transformation spell; it'll just traumatise him. Too much magic is hard on mundanes; their systems aren't used to it."

"I doubt his system is used to being a rat either," Clary snapped, "You're a warlock; can't you just reverse the spell."

"No."

"You mean you won't," Clary said.

Kassia sighed, "You can't afford him. He's rather expensive when it comes to you Shadowhunters."

"Why are you still here?" Clary said, voice submerged in acid.

"I find enjoyment in other people's pain." Kassia said, as a pretty, sarcastic, smile marred her lips, "And you lot just happen to be the prettiest pain's in the asses in this place."

Clary ripped her bag open and carefully put Simon inside, "Let's get out of here. I'm sick of this place."

The Shadowhunters started towards the door, which was blocked by a convulsing crowd of vampires. Kassia wasn't surprised, they were usually the troublemakers and drama queens. The vampires were loudly complaining about vandalised motorbikes, the presence of Shadowhunters and lost friends.

"They're probably drunk and passed out somewhere." Magnus sighed, "You know how you lot tend to turn into bats and piles of dust when you've downed a few too many Bloody Marys."

A female vampire scowled, "We can't go around picking up every pile of dust in the place just in case it turns out to be Gregor in the morning."

"He'll be fine, Lucy," Kassia assured her, "Magnus has tempered windows the sunlight won't touch him."

"And I'll even send any stragglers back to the hotel come tomorrow— in a car with blacked out windows of course," Magnus added.

"But what about our motorbikes?" A second vampire, male this time, complained, "It'll take hours to fix them."

"You've got until sunrise," Magnus said, anger starting to shift beneath his skin, "I suggest you get started." He raised his voice, "All right, that's it! Party's over! Everybody out!"

Kassia gave a mock salute as the partiers pushed past her towards the front door. The Shadowhunters didn't even move, forcing the Downworlders to manoeuvre around them; angering the vampires even more.

In the stampede, Clary stumbled away from Jace and closer to Kassia.

"Hey, pretty thing," A vampire said and smirked down at Clary. "What's in the bag."

"Holy Water," Jace reappeared.

"Crucifixes," Kassia said at the same time. She exchanged equally as surprised looks with Jace before holding the familiar looking vampire under a cold gaze.

The vampire grinned at her, "Oooh, a Shadowhunter. Scary, right Kass?"

"Stop annoying them, Tommy, just move along." Kassia sighed.

He backed away but kept his attention on her, "Party at our place, next Friday."

"I'll be there," Kassia sighed but with a juxtaposing smile curling up her lips. She glanced at Clary, "Sorry about him."

"Vampires are such prima donnas," Magnus said from the doorway, "Honestly, I don't know why I have these parties."

"Because of your cat," Clary said.

Magnus smiled, "That's true. Chairman Meow deserves my every effort, you on your way out?"

"Don't want to overstay our welcome," Jace shrugged.

"What welcome?" Magnus scowled, "I'd say it was a pleasure to meet you but it wasn't. Not that you aren't all fairly charming and as for you," He winked at Alec, "Call me?"

"Don't scare him off, Maggie," Kassia said as she watched a blushing Alec retreat from the room.

Clary went to follow when Magnus stopped her, "I have a message for you, from your mother."

"From my mother? You mean she asked you to tell me something?"

"Not exactly," He said. "But I knew her in a way you didn't. She did what she did to keep you out of a world that she hated. Don't waste her sacrifices to keep yourself safe by risking your life. She wouldn't want that."

Clary stared, "She wouldn't want me to save her."

"Not if it meant putting yourself in danger."

"But I'm the only person who cares about what happens to her—"

"No," Magnus cut her off, "You aren't. And one last thing. Keep in mind that when your mother fled the shadow world, it wasn't the monsters he was hiding from. Not the warlocks, the wolf-men or the Fair Folk, not even the demons. It was them. It was the Shadowhunters. There's a reason the Romanov's don't trust them."

Clary swallowed harshly, glancing back to Kassia, "What does he mean?"

"...I—" Kassia started uncertainly, "In the civil war, the Clave and my family worked together. We were told that we were going to corner Valentine, attack his base together, and that's what my family did. They attacked the base but the Shadowhunters never showed up. They'd used us as a distraction and because they did five hundred of my family died. Shadowhunters are only good because they decided the rules of right and wrong, not because they have a moral compass that points north."

For a moment, Clary contemplated her words but instead of responding she just left and shuffled down the stairs.

"Well, that was fun," Kassia said, watching as Clary closed door and let the room fall into silence.

Magnus narrowed his eyes, "I believe you and I have different definitions of fun, Kassandra."

"Annoying pretty Shadowhunters is fun, Magnus," replied Kassia. She spun on her heel and swept across the floor towards the sofas, sending a disgusted look at the blood bags scrunched between the cushions.

"How long are we staying here, Kass?" Hailee called from the bar, pouring herself yet another drink, "I need my beauty sleep."

Kassia rolled her eyes, "You do, yeah."

"Don't worry, yourself, Evercross," Magnus announced, "You'll be gone as soon as I check on Kassia's wound."

Kassia swallowed. It was hardly a wound, it wasn't from a battle or a fight or anything that she could even remember.

She tugged her jacket of carefully and then pushed the left sleeve of her dress down her arm. Unlike before, she didn't even glance over her shoulder at it. After staring at it in the mirror for hours on end, Kassia knew exactly what it looked like: an unstoppable infection that was flooding through her blood and turning her veins black.

It has started as an unfamiliar rune but now? The rune had pushed started an infection, that was beginning to push itself across her back. It burned and itched and caused Kassia more pain that she could ever imagine.

"Is it worse?" Kassia said but she didn't know why she'd asked. Of course, it was worse.

Magnus sighed, "It's darker, more inflamed but the spells are slowing it down."

"So it hasn't spread any further?" She asked. She hoped. At the moment Kassia could throw a top over it and pretend it wasn't there but she was terrified of when it finally began to spread past what she could hide.

"Thankfully, no." Said Magnus, "But it looks as though it is trying to fight against the spells."

Hailee sent a pitying look at Kassia, "Are you saying the wound is sentient?"

"It's not a normal infection."

Kassia closed her eyes. Hailee never complained about spending so much time at Magnus, not seriously at least, but the infection was starting to take it's toll on her too. Parabatai were meant to be stronger together, not weaker because one of them couldn't even fight some days.

She stayed silent as a blue glow erupted from behind her, Magnus' spell setting to work. It lasted a few minutes before Kassia was able to pull back her dress and force the unknown rune out of her mind. Was that healthy? No, but she didn't know how else to deal with it.

Magnus flicked his hand and a notebook and pen appeared carelessly in his hands. He scribbled a few notes as Kassia fell back on the sofa behind her.

The doorbell let out a scream over the silent building.

"Who in the angel's name is that?" Kassia cursed, nearly jumping out of her own skin; so much for Nephilim reflexes.

"Most likely a vampire still fixing their bike." Magnus sighed, snapping the pen he was holding. "They can never tell which part is broken."

"I heard the biker vampires leave while you were doing," Hailee gestured vaguely between the two, "The rune stuff," The buzzer sounded once more, louder this time.

Magnus pressed the intercom, "Who dares disturb my rest?"

"Jace Wayland." A boy's voice called through the static, "Remember? I'm from the Clave."

"Oh yes," Magnus nodded animatedly, "Are you the one with the blue eyes?"

"That was the quiet one, Magnus, this is the sarcastic asshole," Hailee spoke up, helpfully.

"No," The static flickered again, "My eyes are usually described as golden and luminous,"

"Oh, you're that one," Magnus sighed, "I suppose you'd better come up." He walked down the stairs, the door opening with a crash.

Kassia moved forwards towards the upstairs door so she could glimpse the scene below as she pulled on her jacket.

"I was busy." Magnus scowled.

Clary stepped forwards, speaking before Jace could fit in a sarcastic comment, "Sorry to bother you—"

She cut off as a flash of white passed by her feet and into the house. Clary glanced at Magnus, "Chairman Meow?"

"The beast has returned," Kassia exclaimed. The white fluff ball scampered up the steps and stopped at Kassia's feet, pushing between her legs; searching for attention. "Go away you little monster."

Chairman Meow whined, pink ears lying flat against its grey stripes as it stared up at her. Kassia glared but found herself bending down to pick up the ball of fur. She lifted him up to her eye-line, "This is not becoming a regular event." Chairman Meow merely pressed into the hollow of her arm, sinking into the heat roaring from her leather jacket. "Shut up."

"—I saw one of the vampire bike kids from the uptown lair leave with a brown rat in his hand. Honestly, I figured it was one of their own. Sometimes the Night Children turn into—"

"Uptown?" Kassia interrupted, "Do you mean Raph's clan?"

The three at the bottom of the stairs looked up at her as though they had seen her for the first time whilst behind her Hailee stirred, lifting herself from the bar to become invested in the conversation.

Magnus nodded, "It's him, yes."

"There's one more thing," Jace started, not removing her eyes from Kassia as she began to search around the door for her Katana. It was common practice for her to leave her weapons by the door and not bring them into the party; she was there to enjoy herself not start a fight."Where's the lair?" His tone had changed, becoming more alert like he was a soldier going into battle.

"That," Kassia began, slinging her Katana's sheath over her shoulder, "I can show you, pretty boy, we're finished here right, Magnus?"

"For today," Magnus nodded, "Be careful, Kassandra, don't start a war."

"I'll try my best, I promise," Kassia made her way down the stairs glancing back at Hailee. "You want to come?"

"We're Parabatai, do I have a choice?" Hailee asked, pulling her hair up into a high ponytail as she followed after Kassia. "But you owe me big time—"

"I'll buy takeaway from that Chinese place for a month." Kassia bargained.

Hailee contemplated it, "Chinese and Indian and we have a deal."

"Done." Kassia nodded. She pulled Magnus into a hug, "I'll see you on Friday? Tommy's party?"

Magnus smiled, "If I can spare the time."

"Are you going to be okay, Kass?" Hailee asked, eyes drilling into her and asking the silent question she wouldn't dare voice in front of Jace and Clary.

"It's the nightmares that cause me the most pain, not this." Kassia pointed out, "I'll be fine."

"Okay," Hailee said sceptically. "There's a church on Diamond Street, we should head there first." She called, "I haven't got any weapons with me."

Kassia rolled her eyes but smiled over at her, "Do you make it your job to remember every holy place within two miles of our apartment?"

"Seeing as you don't, it's a good job that I do," Hailee said, an exasperated tone hitting her accent.

"Wait—" Clary started, "What would they want with Simon, I thought—"

"Dinner probably," Hailee shrugged. Kassia hit her. "Maybe they thought he was your pet, no rules against that. Or maybe they just think he's one of their own."

"If so, that gives us about three hours before the spell wears off," Kassia assumed, stepping outside. The cold air hit her like it had organised an attack, digging into her skin and sneaking beneath her clothes.

Jace stepped back, removing his foot from the door and allowing Magnus to slam it in their faces, but not without a wary glance at the two girls.

"Where's the lair?" Jace questioned.

"Dumont... Hotel Dumont."

Kassia and Hailee walked side by side, sharing muttered comments in various languages, as they approached the gothic church with its arched windows and high stone walls, that reached up into the heavens.

Clary reached them and instantly began to tug on the gate, "It's locked."

"Let me at it," Jace said, tugging out his stele and taking less than ten seconds to drop the lock on the floor. "As usual, I'm amazingly good at that."

"When the self congratulatory part of the evening is over maybe we could get back to saving my friend from being exsanguinated to death?"

"Exsanguinated," Jace said, "That's a big word."

Kassia rolled her eyes, "And also pointless when 'bleeding to death' can be used just as effectively. 'Bleeding to death painfully' also works."

"You lot are all nerds," Hailee said, pushing through them and into the church grounds.

"Somebody woke up on the wrong side of bed this morning," said Jace.

Hailee glared over her shoulder, "And somebody won't wake up at all tomorrow if they don't shut up."

"I don't think you should be threatening someone on church grounds," Kassia said.

"I'm Christian, it's fine." Hailee shrugged.

Kassia laughed, following her up towards the wood door by the time she matched Hailee's quick speed, Hailee had started to recite the words every Nephilim knew, placing her hand on the door; light scars littering her dark skin. "I ask entry to this holy place. In the name of the Battle That Never Ends, I ask the use of your weapons and in the name of the Angel Raziel, I ask your blessings on my mission against the darkness."

The three Nephilim stared expectantly at the door, Clary observing them silent. The wind picked up around them and beneath Hailee's fingertips the lock clicked and the door opened with a creak, revealing the dark church.

Jace pushed the door open, "After you,"

Kassia relaxed into a quick pace as she headed straight towards the altar, dropping to a crouch and beginning to trace her fingers along the stone; leaving dust walls in her wake. Jace and Clary's voices hollowed into echoes against the church walls as Kassia glanced to her Parabatai, "Found it yet?"

"By the angel," Hailee cursed, "We need to visit some more holy places around here, we're taking more and more time to find it."

Kassia's fingertips brushed across stone indents, "We went to that Mosque last week and that small orthodox church before that."

"What are you doing?" Clary inquired.

"We're looking for weapons." Kassia clarified, not even looking up. She was searching for one particular symbol among a haystack of symbols: one that meant Nephilim.

"Here?"

Kassia fell back on her heels, "They're hidden in the church and we use them for emergencies in case we don't have any weapons."

"Or the wrong type for the situation," Hailee added. Kassia nodded, clicking her fingers in agreement in her Parabatai's direction.

"They're usually hidden around the altar," Jace said, joining the girls. By now, Kassia's hand was aching from wiping away the dust and internally she was cursing her ancestors making these runes so obscure.

"And this is what some kind of deal you have with the Catholic Church?"

"Not specifically," Jace said, "Demons have been on Earth as long as we have. They're all over the world in their different forms: Greek daemons, Persian daevas, Hindu asuras, Japanese oni—"

"What he's trying to say is that most religions have concepts of evil and therefore most religions serve out fight against it." Kassia cut off Jace's never-ending list, "We could have gone to a Synagogue or a Mosque just as easily."

Silence returns as they searched once more— "Found it!"

Hailee whipped her stele out, touching a rune beneath her fingers. The church shook beneath them, a sound, like cogs, moving, echoing around it as a slab moved back to reveal a long wooden box. She pulled the lid up to reveal, shining weapons.

"What are all of these?"

Hailee stared, "Do you know anything about us? There's vials of holy water, steel, salt, silver weapons—"

"Jesus." Clary breathed.

"I doubt he'd fit," Jace muttered. Kassia covered her mouth as a choked laughter crawled up her throat, and even Hailee's lip twitched upwards.

"It seems wrong to make jokes like that in a church," Clary said.

Jace shrugged, golden eyes shining in the moonlight brighter than the blades, "I'm not really a believer."

"You're not?"

He shook his head, "You thought I was religious?"

"Well..." Clary began slowly, "If there are demons there must be—"

"If hell exists, there must be a heaven?" Kassia asked, pouring Holy Water onto the knives that she was pushing into her boots. The heels were already armed, made of silver and blessed iron so that her kicks were pretty powerful against an angry Downworlder.

Hailee was dipped her jewellery, made of silver, into holy water. They may know this vampire clan but that didn't make it any less dangerous.

"It stands to reason, doesn't it?" Clary glanced at Hailee, "You said you were Christian."

"My mother was." Hailee said, "And I suppose it always resonated with me, but just because I believe in a God doesn't mean I believe that he's all loving. We die for him every day, we have for hundreds of years, and he's never intervened. If a god does exist, he doesn't care about us and I'm not sure whether a god like that deserves faith."

"But it was an angel who created Shadowhunters in the first place."

Kassia sighed, "We're on our own, Clary, whether there are gods or not. Angels aren't saviours, they're warriors, they're monsters. Accept that some of us don't believe in a heaven."

"At all?"Clary pressed.

"Let me put it this way," Jace sounded annoyed, "My father believed in a righteous God. Deus volt, that was his motto, Because God wills it. It was the crusader's motto, and they went out to battle and were slaughtered, just like my father. And when I saw him lying dead in a pool of his own blood, I knew then that I hadn't stopped believing in God. I'd just stopped believing God cared. There might be a God, Clary, and there might not, but I don't think it matters. Either way, we're on our own,"

An awkward silence hovered above them the whole way from the church to the subway and to the deserted street as they walked up to the building. It hadn't taken them long to find it, Kassia walking straight to its location of 116th. The sign hung precariously from the building, and what was meant to say, Hotel Dumont, read Hotel Dumort.

"Hotel Dumort." Jace shrugged, after Clary pointed it out to them, "Cute."

"I'm certain they weren't looking for that outcome," Kassia said, crossing the road towards the hotel. The front door was boarded up, they wouldn't be getting in the way or through the windows.

"But it can't be the hotel." Clary said, "The windows are all boarded up and the door's been bricked over— oh. Right. Vampires. But how do they get inside?"

"They fly." Jace pointed to the upper floors, where gaps had formed in the roof and windows.

Clary stared, "We don't fly."

"You noticed." Hailee said, "We're breaking in."

Kassia moved forwards, staying close to the walls of the building; footsteps silent and breathing barely noticeable. She glimpsed a dark figure flash by the window, saw a pale hand closing a greying curtain.

"Stay out of the light, they might be watching from the windows." Jace said before adding, "And don't look up."

"You know where the back entrance is, Kass?" Hailee muttered.

Kassia nodded, leading them through the shadows and towards the alley around the back. It was narrow, overflowing with bones and rubbish. She didn't take a second glance at the bones. Kassia sighed (it wasn't that she was uncomfortable kicking through bones, it's just that she'd rather do something else), "It's beneath the remains."

"You don't get to complain," Hailee exclaimed, "You were the one who wanted to help these idiots anyway."

"You're very quick to judge," Jace said to Hailee, examining the alley with disgust.

"You're very dislikable, how Clary stands you I don't know," She scowled.

Jace's eyes twinkled, "How you have a Parabatai I don't know," He looked at Kassia, "Did you lose a bet?"

"You know, I agree with Jace," Kassia said with a victorious smirk. Hailee glared, kicking bones out of the way in search of the door.

"I'm flattered, Romanov," Jace retorted.

"You should, Wayland, seeing as I'm not going to agree with you often," Kassia said, turning to face him.

He stepped towards her, hair falling in front of his eyes, "Then I better make the most of it."

Kassia moved closer, lifting a hand to brush the blonde locks back, fingers ghosting across his cheeks and sending lightning up her nerves. She glanced up at him, lashes sweeping across her cheeks, "How do you suggest doing that?"

Jace leant closer, the two close enough for their breaths to entangle in front of them, "I—"

"Can you two stop?" Clary's anger finally snapped, "We need to find Simon."

"I agree with, Red, over here." Hailee said, "I'd much rather clean this than watch you two undress each other with your eyes whilst trying not to retch."

Kassia flinched back, heat flooding to her cheeks, "Sorry, Hails," She was sincere, "Let's get this bloody thing over."

"We need to tip the dumpster," Jace commented, recovering faster than Kassia from their repartee.

"Tipping it will make too much noise," argued Clary, "We should push it."

"Clary—" Jace started when a voice cut over him, echoing from the darkness.

"Do you really think you should be doing that?" The voice from the shadows called.

* * *

 **Here's part three! Sorry for such a long wait but life's shit at the moment and I just want to sleep all the time. Anyway, there's a little bit more kass x jace in this chapter and also the arrival of Raphael! (who's my fave.)**


	4. FOUR

**CHAPTER FOUR**

4 | Raphael Santiago

"loving the monsters always ends badly for the human"  
 _laurell k hamilton_

* * *

Jace tensed as the voice echoed through the alley. His hand instinctively slid down to his belt, "Is there someone there?"

"Dios mío." The voice sounded amused, with an accented lilt to the words. "You're not from this neighbourhood, are you?" The boy stepped from the shadows, hair and eyes as black as the darkness he'd stepped from.

"You could say that," Jace said after a moment. He didn't move his hand from the concealed angel blade: the boy may have looked human but that meant little in the shadow world.

"You shouldn't be here, this place is dangerous." The boy announced.

Kassia laughed, her soft voice shattering the tension in the alley, "And you know all about danger don't you, Raph?"

"Raph?" Jace repeated, voice coming out like a strangled cat as he glanced between them, "You two know each other?"

"Know each other, chico?" A smile appeared on the boy's face, making him look more demonic than before, "Kassandra and I go way back."

Kassia avoided Jace's eyes, awkwardly, "You remember I mentioned a Downworlder I dated—"

"Him?" Jace spluttered, "You dated _that_ vampire?" Jace stared at the boy and couldn't stop his lip curling down. He almost hadn't believed her when Kassia had said she'd dated a vampire but Jace didn't like seeing it was true.

The vampire eyed him up, "My name is Raphael not 'that vampire'."

"Now, now, boys," Hailee said and Jace didn't have to look at her to know she was smirking. "I'm the only one who's allowed to fight over my Parabatai."

Kassia rolled her eyes, "I believe they dislike each other due to the societal barriers between their species, not because of a pretty face like me."

" _Y es una cara bonita_ ," Raphael murmured. "Is there a reason you are bringing Shadowhunters to my clan?"

"My friend's in there." Clary spoke up, "We came to get him."

Clary's words drew Raphael attention to her and he looked her over with narrowed eyes and an analytical, almost predatory, shimmer to his eyes. Jace didn't like it and purposely shifted himself in front of her.

The movement didn't go unnoticed by Raphael who raised his eyebrow at him before he said, "Then it seems I cannot persuade you to leave."

"Please, Raph, we just need to look around," Kassia said.

"There's no angel children in here… or mundanes." Raphael stated.

Kassia sighed, "He was turned into a rat."

"A rat?" Raphael's eyebrows furrowed, "Didn't you turn—"

"Don't you dare." Kassia scowled. Her hand flew out, wildly aiming for his shoulder but before she could touch him he caught her wrist with vampiric speed. Raphael dropped her wrist with a smirk which only deepened her scowl.

"You were at Magnus' party, no?" Raphael asked her. "What for?"

"Medication," Kassia said quietly, voice twisting sharply like a dagger. "It's nothing."

Raphael moved closer to her, "It isn't nothing, _cariño_ ,"

"Sorry we're interrupting you," Jace said coldly. He observed the lack of distance between the two with an air of annoyance, "Do you want us to just wait until you're finished?"

Raphael and Kassia exchanged an amused glance.

Hailee shuffled forwards kicking through the bones on the ground as she did so. She raised an eyebrow at him, "Jealous, Wayland? You didn't seem to care about us watching when you were one flirting."

"We're not flirting," Kassia called.

"Flirting or not, can you actually help? Seeing as you were the one who wanted to assist them." Hailee asked.

Kassia's eyebrows creased and she nodded, apologetically, before she looked to Raphael, "We won't cause trouble."

"I believe you speak for yourself and Hailee, not for those two," Raphael said, his eyes digging into Jace and Clary once more.

"Raph." Kassia said, "Please."

Raphael sighed. He spared one more look at Jace before he stalked past and kicked aside a pile of trash beside the wall. The movement revealed a metal grate, one that could be tugged away to allow a clear entrance below it.

"It goes to the basement," Raphael stated.

Subconsciously, a smile rose to Jace's lips and he stared down into the darkness with adrenaline rushing through his veins. Finally, they didn't have to search through bones and guts.

"You're staying up here," Jace stated to Raphael. Raphael didn't say anything just tilted his head to the side.

Kassia shuffled forwards but Jace caught her arm before she could near Raphael and the drop. She looked up at him and he searched her eyes. They were blank, no regret or guilt in them, and for a moment he questioned how similar she was to the rest of her family.

"Calm down, pretty, boy. I know how to survive a fall." She stated.

Jace tightened his grip, "It could be a trap."

"Raphael wouldn't do that to us," Kassia said. Jace tried not to frown at his name or the 'us' at the end. He was certain the vampire cared little for him. "…or are you asking whether I'm betraying you?"

"I wouldn't put it past a Romanov," Jace stated, tensely. He wasn't liking where this conversation was going.

Kassia's gaze darkened, "You don't know me and you don't know my family so stop making comparisons between us like we are the same- like our values are the same,"

"I know your family are corrupt." Jace should have stopped talking but the fire raging inside of him was wearing his patience thin. "I know they've done terrible things in the name or order, I know all they care about are themselves and the family business that comes with it."

"And do you think I'm like that?" She questioned. Her voice, which had once been reminiscent of swaying tides, was like a tsunami. Dark and unstoppable and something that threatened to engulf them both.

He surveyed her briefly, "I think you pretend that you're not like them, pretend that you're better but I don't think you are."

Kassia stepped back from him like his grip had burnt her.

"That was a low blow, Wayland." Hailee snapped. She stepped in front of Kassia protectively, knife twirling through her fingers with a threatening glint in the metal. "You don't know shit."

Kassia moved away from him. Her movements were awkward, as though she were in shock, but she slowly seemed to be pulling herself together. She pulled a witch light from her jacket and dropped it down the pitch black hole. Kassia waited until she heard the drop before she glanced at Hailee, "It's about ten metres."

"You go." Hailee nodded, "I'll go in a moment."

Kassia's lips drew out into a line, "Don't start a fight."

Jace heard Hailee mutter something in Spanish — something that caused Raphael to laugh and make Kassia almost smile.

He would have glared at Hailee but he couldn't draw his eyes away from Kassia. She didn't look at him, although he was certain she knew he was watching, and slid through the hole easily. There was a moment before a soft thudding echoed through the air. She'd landed.

Kassia shouted to say it was clear and Jace followed after her, pushing past Hailee. He fell for a few seconds before his feet came into contact with the ground.

The room wasn't as dark as he had expected but he didn't spare any time admiring the architecture. Instead, his hand jumped to his blade but he was met with silence, even though he'd expected vampires to attack at any moment.

Kassia was stood a few metres away, surveying the low ceilinged room. She cursed instantly, "This was a stupid plan."

"You don't seem like the type to call take backs," Jace commented, carefully; as though he were speaking to a wounded animal who would shy from any touch.

Kassia stared at him. She hesitated like she had a million comments on the tip of her tongue before she looked away and said, "I just hate surprises."

Jace nodded before he glanced up at the small square of light that hovered above them, "Jump and I'll catch you!"

There was a moment of silence before Clary tumbled down the hatch. Jace caught her easily but let go almost instantly. "You alright?"

"I'm fine," Clary confirmed. There was barely a second gap before Hailee had, too, tumbled down and landed elegantly beside them.

"I'm fine too," She bit out holding Jace in cold regard, "If you wanted to know."

Kassia rolled her eyes, "None of us give a fuck, Hails."

"I can tell by the fact you didn't offer to catch me. I'm delicate, y'know." Hailee stated. Her hand moved in a fast gesture and a knife went spinning in Kassia's direction, however, even though it should have made contact, Kassia dodged it and it landed in the door beside her.

"Real delicate," Kassia state. She pulled it from the door and threw it back underarm.

A loud crash interrupted them and Jace turned to see Raphael land beside them.

Jace's eyes narrowed, "I told you—"

"And I heard you." Raphael dismissed him with a wave, "But if you think I will let you wander these floors with your seraph blade alight then you are as stupid as you look."

Jace opened his mouth but Kassia cut them off.

"It's the top floors, right?" She stated.

"Yes. That is where they will be." Raphael pushed past Jace and through the doorway.

Jace watched Hailee followed, but not before glancing at Kassia nervously. With the wave of her hand, Kassia dismissed her worries but even Jace could see how tired she looked. The darkness only seemed to enhance the circles beneath her eyes and the underlying tremors in the way she held her seraph blade.

The hotel was a maze. Every room was empty and time seemed to have taken its toll on everything. Jace followed Raphael and Kassia, who had latched onto his side, closely. It wasn't that he didn't like the vampire it was just he didn't trust him — or that was what he told himself.

Clary coughed behind him.

"Keep it down," Hailee muttered as she caught up with Clary and Jace. "Raph may like us but the others won't." Even though she was examining every room Jace had noticed how her eyes jumped back to Kassia every other moment.

"What's wrong with Romanova?" Jace asked.

Hailee hesitated, "She's just sick."

"That isn't what it looks like from here," Clary said.

"Then don't look," Hailee muttered coldly as they pushed into a lobby.

It was empty with rotting carpets and smashed floorboards, armed with splinters. Jace could imagine what it looked like — high, grand staircases with ornately decorated walls and hanging chandeliers brightening up the room. It was an echo of what it once was.

"What do vampires have against staircases?" Clary asked.

"They don't need them." Hailee stated, "There's the whole flying thing."

Kassia glanced over her shoulder, "What's the best defensible position here?"

"Not this room," Hailee said, "You know I hate this place. We're too vulnerable. The ballroom is the best place I'd say, at least we have clear lines of sight."

Clary stared at them with intrigue, "You two are like soldiers."

"That's what we are." Kassia shrugged. "Soldiers prepared to die for a cause."

Jace glanced away from them as he heard something shuffle behind him, just a whisper in the air but it was enough to spread unease through him.

He was liking this less and less, and with Raphael leading them he was beginning to feel as though he didn't have all the pieces to the picture.

The sound echoed again and this time even Hailee glanced round. Jace and her shared a wary look but they followed Raphael into the ballroom. Hailee moved forwards to Kassia, eyes scanning the hall as though she too was missing something.

Raphael turned away and it was at that moment that Jace acted. His hand jerked and a knife released from his hand.

The vampire was quick but not quick enough.

The knife embedded itself in the side of his chest and instantly red began to engrave itself into the grey shirt.

Kassia jumped forwards, prepared for a threat but Hailee tugged her back, murmuring something quietly in another language.

Jace jumped forwards and lunged for the knife but Raphael was faster and pulled the knife from his chest. However, he let out a scream of pain as his hand brushed against the cross-shaped hilt. Jace grabbed Raphael's shirt his blade digging into the vampire's chest.

"You missed." Raphael laughed and his whole expression twisted, changing into something darker. "You missed my heart."

Jace tightened his grip on his shirt, "You moved at the last moment. It was very inconsiderate."

"Let go of him, Jace." Kassia snapped, eyes jumping around wildly, but she was withheld from moving forwards by Hailee who had locked her arm around her waist and pulled her back.

"Let go of him?" Jace asked, "He tricked you, Romanova, just accept that maybe he's not the knight in shining armour you thought."

"And you are?" Kassia said coldly.

Hailee tightened her grip, "Kassia."

"I didn't trick her." Raphael said before glancing at Jace, "You two maybe... Look up."

Jace resisted the urge to look away, "Clary. What do you see?" He didn't have to ask he already knew, "You called the rest of them, didn't you?"

Raphael smiled, victoriously. The wound had started to heal, the blood no longer spreading towards Jace's fingers. "Does it matter? There are too many of them, even for you, Wayland."

Jace wanted to kill the vampire more than before. He tightened his grip on his blade and withheld the urge to press it into his heart.

"Jace, don't kill him," Clary ordered.

"Why not?"

Clary hesitated, "Maybe we can use him as a hostage."

Jace glanced at the other two girls. They were having a whispered argument, Kassia gesturing violently at them whilst Hailee pushed her further away from Raphael. Jace glanced back to Clary, "A hostage?"

"I know what I'm doing." Clary said, "Get him on his feet, Jace."

"All right." He shrugged and hauled Raphael up.

"This isn't funny." Raphael snapped.

"That's why no one's laughing," Jace commented before he jammed the blade of the knife between Raphael's shoulder blades. "I can pierce your heart just as easily through your back, I wouldn't move if I were you."

Raphael laughed then, "If you kill me you anger Kassandra. I don't think you want to hurt her any more than you already had."

Jace tried to ignore him but his jaw clenched and he dug the blade further into his back.

Clary turned to the oncoming vampires, "Stop there or he'll put the blade through Raphael's heart." Jace jabbed the knife into the skin, making Raphael cry out and Kassia, beside them, flinched. "Stop!"

A blonde boy from the party flung an arm out in front of his companions, "She means it. They're Shadowhunters."

Another vampire pushed forwards, an Asian girl with blue hair. "Shadowhunters trespassing on our territory, they are out of the protection of the Covenant. I say we kill them — they've killed enough of ours."

"Which of yours is the master of this place, let him step forward," Jace ordered.

The girl bared sharp teeth, "Do not use Clave language on us, Shadowhunter. You have broken your precious Covenant coming in here. The Law will not protect you."

"That's enough, Lily." The blond ordered sharply, "Our master is not here. She is in Idris."

"Someone must rule you in her stead." Jace joined out. He may dislike vampires but he knew of the politics and traditions. The room fell silent. Even Kassia and Hailee's argument had stopped and Kassia had glanced warily at Jace.

"Raphael leads us." The blond said after a moment.

"You expect me to believe your leader was out of the clan," Jace said.

"He wanted to see Kassandra. As usual." Lily said with a roll of her eyes. Jace glanced over at Kassia in surprise, as it seemed did all the vampires.

She ignored the stares and met Jace's gaze, "Let go of him." Jace didn't move and Kassia ripped her arm from Hailee and moved towards Jace, "Let go of him or I will make you."

He hesitated for a few moments before he gave in. Jace scowled and shoved Raphael away from him. The vampire stumbled but quickly regained his balance once Kassia jumped to support him.

"Are you okay?" She asked quietly.

Raphael nodded, "I'm fine."

Kassia looked sceptical but she didn't argue with him. Instead, she faced the vampires, "We can do a deal. No one has to get hurt today."

"How… how well do you know each other?" Clary asked. Her eyes were glued to the arm that Kassia had thrown around Raphael's waist. Jace had noticed it too. He looked away.

Hailee almost laughed, "They dated for what? A year? A year and a half? I'm glad it's over, to be honest. You don't know pain until your roommate is on nocturnal hours."

"You're here with the Shadowhunters." The blond stated, "I thought better of you, Kassandra."

"I just wanted to make sure Raphael was okay, Jacob." Kassia stated, "Clary's why they're here actually. She's looking for someone." Kassia glanced at Clary pointedly.

Clary hesitated for a moment, "You took home too many people from the party tonight, one of them was my friend Simon."

"You're friends with a vampire?" Jacob asked with raised eyebrows.

"He's not a vampire. And not a shadowhunter either." Clary said, "He's just an ordinary human boy."

"We didn't take any human boys home with us from Magnus' party. That would be a violation of the Covenant." Said Jacob.

"He'd been transformed into a rat. A small brown rat." Clary explained, "Someone might have thought he was a pet… or…" She trailed off at the stares from everyone.

"Let me get this straight." Lily's face twisted in disgust, "You're looking for a rat? And you're helping her, Kassandra?"

"I helped her get here." Kassia corrected, "I've never spoken to the boy she's looking for."

"Yes. I'm looking for a rat." Clary nodded.

Jace rolled his eyes. This had been a mistake. Though he wasn't sure whether it was because of the risks or because of the way Kassia was now looking at him; like she wanted to punch him.

"Do you mean this rat?" Another vampire pushed through the crowded building. He held a small brown creature in two hands and Jace withheld the urge to glare at the rat.

"Simon?" Clary asked.

The rat thrashed and squeaked in the vampire's hands.

Hailee smiled, "He's so much more adorable."

"Man, I thought he was Zeke. I wondered why he was copping such an attitude." The vampire shook his head, "I say she can have him, dude, he's already bitten me five times."

Clary moved forwards — to take the rat — but Lily stepped in front of the vampire. She narrowed her eyes, "I don't trust you, well the shadowhunters, how do we know you won't just take the rat and kill us?"

"We'll give our word," Clary said immediately.

Raphael swore softly and both Kassia and Jace tensed, with wide eyes. Lily looked curiously at Jace over Clary's shoulder.

"Clary," Jace started slowly, "Is this really a—"

"No oath, no trade." Lily said instantly, "Elliot hold on to that rat."

Elliot tightened his grip on the rat making it sink his teeth into Elliot's hands. "Man, that hurt."

Clary turned to Jace, "Just swear. What can it hurt?"

"Swearing for us isn't like it is for you mundanes." Jace snapped. He clenched his hand tightly and whilst it looked like it was from anger it felt like it was from nerves. "I'll be bound forever to any oath I make."

"Oh yeah?" Clary asked, "What would happen if you broke it?"

"I wouldn't break it, that's the point—"

Jacob interrupted Jace, "Lily is right. An oath is required swear that you won't harm us. Even if we give you the rat back."

"I won't hurt any of you." Clary said, "No matter what."

Lily smiled at Clary as though she were a little child. She shot a look at Jace, "It isn't you that we're worried about."

"You're enjoying this." Kassia stated, "Forcing a Shadowhunter's hand, forcing them to make an oath. You know how they're bound to it."

"As are you, Kassia." Raphael smiled. He met Jace's eyes, "Make the oath little shadowhunter, make it and we return the mundane."

Jace gritted his teeth, "All right. I swear it."

"Speak your oath." Lily said, icily, "Swear it on the Angel. Say it all."

"You swear first," Jace said instantly. His golden eyes hardened and his whole body tensed. The clan fell into silence.

Lily exchanged a look with Jacob before snapping out, "Not a chance, shadowhunter."

"I could kill your leader right now. And what do you have there? A rat." Jace snapped.

Kassia pressed Raphael behind her, "Make the fucking oath, Wayland."

"Listen to Kassandra, shadowhunter. It is a pretty important rat for you to come all the way here." Raphael stated, "It is you, little Shadowhunter, who will swear first."

Jace fought away the anger that threatened to boil over inside of him He spun the knife between his fingers and refused to let the infantilising taunt hit him.

"The rat's a mundane. If you kill him, you'll be subject to the law." Jace said sharply.

Raphael smiled and Jace wondered what Kassia saw in him apart from a sneaky little vampire, "He is in our territory. Trespassers are not protected by the Covenant, you know that."

"You brought him here," Clary said, "He didn't trespass!"

"Ahh, technicalities," Raphael grinned, "Besides. You think we do not hear the rumours. The news that is running through Downworld like blood through veins. Valentine is back. There will be no Accords and no Covenant soon enough."

Jace's head jerked up, "Where did you hear that?"

"All of Downworlder knows," Kassia said quietly but in the silence, her voice was like a beacon. "Valentine is back and they all know because they aren't so ignorant that they won't believe him. He won't stop until he gets his revenge and nothing will be able to stop him unless the Clave actually listens."

Raphael smiled, "If he does get his revenge there will be no more false peace, only war. No law that will prevent me from tearing your heart out on the street—"

And then Clary dived for Simon and the world fell apart around them.

* * *

 **Anddd chapter four! Finally. I'm sorry that barely anything happens in this chapter but it's the best I could do.**

 **I rewrote this fic because - apart from that it was generally terrible - I wrote Clary out to be a real bitch. I just don't like her as a character, she generally annoys me through the series and I much prefer the other characters so I struggle to write her without a real bias against her character.**

 **I think she just comes off quite badly in the TMI series and I kind of continued to write her that way in my last fic. I'm trying to tone that down a bit because I don't think I have a popular opinion with her. Do you guys dislike Clary too or is it just me?**

 **Anyways, hope you enjoyed it and I've already got the next chapter written so it shouldn't be too long a wait.**


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